Kansas State gave Oregon a free point by earning a one-point safety in the third quarter. / Ezra Shaw, Getty Images

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes, if you watch enough college football you see something you've never seen before. It's rare, but it happens.

For example, Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl featured a one-point safety, the Halley's Comet of NCAA football rulings.

First, what happened:

In the third quarter, after scoring yet another touchdown, Oregon lined up for an extra-point try looking to push its lead to 32-10. The kick by the Ducks' Alejandro Maldonado was blocked, howeverâ?¦ so no points, right?

Wrong. The kick was blocked in the field of play (in front of the end zone) and recovered by a Kansas State player, who then ran the ball into the end zone under his own power and tossed the ball to a teammate, who was tackled in the end zone.

By NCAA rule, that's a one-point safety. You know something was amiss when legendary explainer Ron Cherry, the head referee for the Fiesta Bowl, began his explanation by saying, "We have an unusual ruling on the field."

The full ruling via the NCAA:

"On a try attemptâ?¦ a Team A fumble that is recovered in the Team B end zone by Team B. RULING: Safety, award Team A one point (Rules 8-3-1 and 8-5-1)."

See? That makes perfect sense!

And yes, this has happened before, during a 2004 game between Texas and Texas A&M. After returning a blocked punt for a touchdown, Texas had its point-after try blocked by the Aggies. A&M then went through the same rigmarole as Kansas State, giving the Longhorns the one-point safety.

What's really amazing: ESPN's Brad Nessler called that game in 2004 and Thursday's Fiesta Bowl. What are the odds?